Chapter 1 #3
Shaking my head, I felt the sting in my palms where my claws had pierced them in my clenched fists earlier. “No. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. I felt like I was going to lose control and kept seeing the possible headlines if I did.”
His hand squeezed my arm with reassurance. “It is the same for many supernatural beings. They need a place that is safe and inclusive, which is something we can offer them.”
A safe place. There weren’t many of those for people like us, especially now with camera phones and internet detectives.
If Maxime had said that he wanted to build a bar or a bowling alley, or anything, I would have been on board, but this was something bigger.
Something important, and I wanted to be a part of bringing it to life.
“Cool,” I said, trying not to show how moved I was.
A rustling sound came from across the room, making Maxime stiffen at my side. My heart lodged in my throat, but no other physical response came. My beast was completely unreliable, abandoning me when I might need it. Thanks a lot.
“Who is it?” Maxime demanded, his booming voice in contrast to his small stature.
Two amber eyes appeared beneath a crown of horns, and a laugh popped out of me when a lizard stepped out from behind an overturned chair.
“Aww, look, it’s so cute.” I took a step forward, wanting to get a closer look, but Maxime’s arm shot out, putting a firm hand on my chest to keep me in place. “Hold on, Rudolph. Something isn’t right. It’s not what it seems to be.”
My gaze swung back to the creature. It was about four feet long from its wide, flat nose to the small spikes at the end of its tail, covered in beautiful golden scales. It watched us with assessing eyes, as if it were studying us the same way we did it.
What was Maxime sensing about it? I had heightened senses, even in my human form, as most of us did, but I couldn’t pick out different blood types like Maxime. It was one of the reasons he would be working the front desk to determine if someone was a supernatural being.
The creature before us sure looked like a lizard, a bearded dragon, in fact. Was it a shapeshifter, a trickster, or something else entirely? Only one way to find out, I supposed. I slowly knelt down, trying not to make any sudden movements.
“Rudolph?” Maxime whispered.
“It’s okay, I got this.” Or so I hoped. I really had no idea what I was doing.
Calling out to the lizard-creature-thing, I said, “Hey there. We’re not going to hurt you. You’re safe.”
The lizard tilted its head and took a step closer.
Its nostrils flared, scenting us. Did it know we weren’t human?
I hoped it wouldn’t sense the predator side of me and be frightened off.
I liked animals, but most were understandably nervous around me.
Holding my hand out, I tried to appear as non-threatening as possible.
Maxime lowered beside me and said with a hint of wonder, “What are you?”
Those amber eyes met mine, as if they were looking inside me. It began to shake its head from side to side, before shimmying its body until wings unfurled from its back. I sucked in a sharp breath as the wings stretched out. They flapped a couple of times, lifting the animal off the ground.
“It can’t be,” Maxime whispered with awe.
“Is that what I think it is?” I asked under my breath.
“A dragon.”
Not a bearded dragon, but an actual dragon? “Holy shit! But it’s so tiny.”
Maxime scoffed. “You cannot judge might by size.”
I watched as the small dragon landed. “Is it true? Is that what you are?”
The lizard-possibly-dragon dipped its head in answer. A surprised laugh popped out of me. “Cool.”
Lowering down to the floor, I sat cross-legged and stared at the beautiful little beastie.
It crossed the room to approach us. When I held out my hand, it stared at it for a moment before nudging its head against my knuckles.
My lips pulled up into a smile. Turning to look at Maxime, I asked, “Can we keep it?”
He gave a slight shake of his head. “Her not it. And no, dragons cannot be kept. Whether she stays or leaves, it is entirely her choice.”
Returning my attention to the golden dragon, I decided my best hope for her to stay was for her to feel welcome.
“Hi, I’m Rudy. We are in the process of buying this place, and we’re going to fix it up really nice.
You see… I’m not human—none of us are—but we want to create a place where we can all feel safe, and that would include you, too, if you want. What do you think?”
I had no idea how much she understood, or if I was simply making a fool of myself by talking to her like this, but I figured it was worth a try. I didn’t know anything about dragons, but if she could breathe fire like legends say, I didn’t want to end up on her bad side.
She stared at me with that piercing gaze of hers. The intensity of it made me squirm, despite the beast that lived within me. Her head bumped against my hand again, which felt as good a sign as any. Another laugh popped out of me.
Maxime slid a glance at me and offered me a warm smile. “Well done, Rudolph.”
Zephyr’s footsteps sounded from the hallway as he called out, “I made a list of the equipment I’m going to need to modernize it, but I think it’s going to be a great working space.”
At the sound of him, the dragon tensed and tilted her head.
I held out my hand to calm her, hoping she wouldn’t blast Zee when he appeared, though I still didn’t know if she had fire. “It’s okay. He’s a friend. We’re all friends here.”
“What are you guys doing on the floor?” He rounded the corner and came to an immediate stop. “Holy shit! Is that a…?”
“A dragon. Yes,” I responded with a smile.
“Badass. Where did it come from?” Zee asked in a hushed tone.
“I’m not sure, but it seems she may be our first guest,” Maxime said.
I rose to my feet and looked between them. Hope sparked in my chest, and I needed to hear it again before I got too carried away. “So we’re doing this? We’re actually doing this?”
“We’ll do a final vote once Silas and Ash get here, but I cannot imagine a scenario in which we walk away.” Maxime offered a fangy smile, and I felt my heart leap.
I lunged at both men before me, wrapping my arms around them to draw them into a tight hug. “Thank you! Thank you for including me.”
“We couldn’t do it without you, Wolfie,” Zee said softly.
When I let go and leaned away from them, I scanned the area again, trying to picture it the way Maxime did. It was… it was going to be incredible.
Maxime announced, “Welcome to Creature Comforts Inn.”